I've never read "The Iliad."

[truizm]

And I think I should. Should I read it in its poetic form or in a novelized version?

[Book Lover]

1. I suggest

The WHD Rouse translation, which is novelized somewhat.

[TroubleMan]

2. LOL...I had to translate it in 10th grade

That almost ruined it for me.


Good story though. I prefer the novelized.

[Book Lover]

3. 10th grade!

Yowza! At least I waited until college to take Greek. I bow to you, sir!

[TroubleMan]

4. Translated from the Latin - not Greek

Sorry I didn't specify.

[Book Lover]

5. Well

I didn't take Latin until college either :-) My hat is still off to you!

[TroubleMan]

6. I'm glad my parents made me take it starting in 7th grade

It helps you understand a lot of English, even when you've never seen the word before.

I took it from 7th to 11th grade.

BTW, it wasn't that much of an accomplishment, everybody in the class had to do it. Thanks for the compliment, though.

[Fleshdancer]

7. I just had this exact conversation just a few days ago.

Oddly enough, I've never read the Iliad either. I've read the Odyssey 4-5 times and yet I've never read the Iliad. Odd. Maybe we'll start an Iliad book club on DU? I hear there's a really kick ass toy horse involved.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

8. trojan horse is in the aeneid

[Fleshdancer]

13. And if I had read the Iliad, I would know that.

DUH! lol

[chenGOD]

9. Errr....

Actually the Trojan Horse is not in the Illiad. It is in the Aenid.

[Fleshdancer]

12. DAMN IT!

obviously I never read the Aenid either. My bad.

[liberalpragmatist]

19. It's also in the Odyssey

So it was in the original story and wasn't an invention of Vergil. But it isn't in The Iliad, like you all said, which, according to my English teacher and to a friend of mine who read it, isn't the story of the Trojan war, but the story of a dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon for a ten-day period within a longer 10-year war.

We were having a conversation about The Iliad because of the movie Troy and were discussing it. I should read it. There are some interesting factoids. Apparently in it Patroclus, Achilles' cousin who is in the movie Troy and is the one who gets killed by Hector thinking he's Achilles - supposedly, there's a great deal of evidence to indicate that Patroclus and Achilles were gay lovers. Just in an interesting factoid.

[ulysses]

10. poetic.

Get the Robert Fagles translation.

[kodi]

15. and not the robert fitzgerald translation?

i've read both and i'm sticking with fitzgerald's.

[ulysses]

22. I actually read Lattimore's translation in college.

The Fitzgerald didn't appeal to me for reasons I forget now. I mainly suggested the Fagles because it seems to make the story itself more accessible without losing the poetry.

[Hand]

25. Absolutely--Fagles is far and away the best!

I was a classics major back in the late 60s when he was just starting work on his translation and it completely rocked the classics world when parts of it were published.

IMHO Fagles gets as close to the simultaneously rough and subtle expression of the the original Greek as anyone ever has. He's done the Odyssey as well--also great, lucid work!

:toast:

[Zomby Woof]

27. Absolutely!

I love to read it aloud, and absorb the imagery and drama. I have both that and his translation of 'The Odyssey'. :thumbsup:

[Khephra]

11. After you do, then read "ILIUM" by Dan Simmons.

Dan Simmons' work is easily some of the most intelligent in science fiction. His 'Hyperion Cantos' became an instant classic, and stands as a landmark work of literature, a masterpiece in any genre. With 'Ilium', Simmons brings a new vision to life, full of fascinating insights and riveting storylines.

Mars has... changed. It no longer resembles the red planet that haunted the skies of Earth throughout human history. Gods rule Mars now, and they have remade it in the image of ancient earth. The father of all gods, Zeus, and hundreds of dieties from the greek Pantheon rule over Mars and the titanic struggle taking place on its changed surfaces. The entire Trojan war is being fought, a quarter of a million humans living and dying in a re-enactment of one of the greatest conflicts of all time.

Thomas Hockenberry was a twentieth century expert on the Trojan War, now resurrected by the awe-inspiring technology of the 'gods' two millenia after his death. His role is to act as a sholar, and document the fidelity of the re-enactment, as well as observing pivotal moments he could only dream about in his former life. Aside from Zeus, the gods themselves do not know the outcome of the great war, and Hockenberry is forbidden to reveal it. The gods cannot help jockeying amongst themselves, each intent on defending their respective worshippers. Hockenberry's role will change from one of observer to active participant, as Aphrodite herself enlists his unwilling aid as she conspires against her immortal sister.

Back on earth, the real earth, a million humans live a tranquil, if sheltered life. The post-humans have departed the surface for their orbital emplacements, to perfect their quantum-manipulation technology and shepherd the old style humans through their extended lives. The majority of the humans on earth are unaware of their history, or the basic workings of technology. The question of 'why' is one they don't bother to ask. A few individuals such as Harman however, have glimpsed the terrifying and lost history of their planet, and they are desperate to learn more - no matter the cost.

Based on the on the moons of Jupiter, the Five Moons Consortium has detected cataclysmic quantum signatures from the heart of the solar system - namely Mars. The magnitude involved is enough to rip the system apart, and they decide to act. The inhabitants of the moons are Moravecs, intelligent machines created by man centuries ago to harvest the resources of the solar system. A diverse group is assembled to approach Mars, including Mahnmut and Orphu - two moravecs intensely curious about their creators and fascinated by human literature.

Simmons weaves these three storylines together perfectly. As the tales converge, we're given glimpses of seductive backstory spanning millenia. Hockenberry's first person narrative on Mars is written beautifully and it provides an enthralling account of the Trojan War. Simmons' brings heroes such as Hector and Achilles to vibrant life, painting a picture of the ancient conflict against a backdrop of almost incomprehensible technology. There's a story within a story here, and the unique perspective on the war is enough for a book itself

more.............

http://www.dragonsworn.com/reviews/books/illium.html

[TroubleMan]

14. Dammit...now I realize it was Virgil's Aeneid that I translated

Sorry, it was almost 15 or 16 years ago. I have read the Illiad before though - at about the same time, but didn't translate it.

I specifically remember translating about Sinon (the guy who tricked them into taking the Trojan Horse). That's only in the Aeneid.


This is what drinking a lot of beer when you're a teenager and throughout your 20's does to you.

[JohnLocke]

16. Poetic. And make it the Robert Fargles translation (nt).

[Burma Jones]

17. Oh, just see the movie, you won't be missing anything important

This message brought to you by Modern 'merkin Life

[marigold20]

18. Where's my copy of the Iliad?

I just checked the dusty shelves where I keep my Humanities books and the Iliad is not there. I found the Inferno, Purgatorio, The Prince, the Aeneid, and the Odyssey. But where is the Iliad and the Paradiso? Oh, the humanities...

[UTUSN]

20. We Read the Whole Thing n/t

[LastKnight]

21. DOH! nt

[truizm]

23. Has anyone read Pope's translation? If so, what did you think of it? nt

[Hand]

26. It's a classic for its time...

Every generation has its Iliad. Pope's was one, Fitzgerald's another. The Iliad for this era, IMHO, is Fagles by a country mile--far more readable than Lattimore, although I was forced to read Lattimore in my freshman year, which kind of spoiled it...

[pink-o]

24. I read a children's book of classical mythology

When I was ten or eleven, then I read Edith Hamilton's a little later on. As a kid in the 60's my poor mother had illusions of raising my cultural levels and hated comic books or Mad Magazine (the best in the 60s!) so if I read about Odysseus's crew getting devoured by the cyclops (complete with Goya-esque illustrations) or Circe turning them into pigs, or Zeus commiting beastiality with Leda and Io...well, that was okay, that was LITERATURE. Incest, jealousy, catfights amongst the Goddesses, warriors gouging out their own eyes after having affairs with their mothers...what a blast! And who needs Superman when you have Heracles????

Anyway, haven't seen Troy the movie, but I think it's like the Last of the Mohicans, where it's complete crap but the eye-candy lead actor takes away a lot of the pain. I do take umbrage that they make Achilles pine for some obscure Delphic priestess, when we all know he was in love with his male cousin. Hollywood hacks are a buncha wimps! They don't call it the "Greek Way" for nuthin!